Behind The Mic With Joe Mathieu: Sequester Cuts July 4th Celebrations

BOSTON (CBS) -  Remember the sequester?

Congress and the White House never did find a way to prevent the across-the-board budget cuts, as we're reminded by stories like this one.

Fourth of July fireworks have been canceled at major military bases including Fort Bragg, North Carolina, which has held a show for about 50,000 soldiers and family members the last 30 years.

Shaw Air Force base in South Carolina is also scrapping fireworks this year. It will offer face painting and bouncy castles to the roughly 35,000 people who attend.

Even Joint Base Peal Harbor has canceled its fireworks on the 4th.

Makes me think back a few months to when they floated the idea of canceling White House tours because of the budget cuts. People were outraged. They said it was just about playing politics.

This feels similar. Except maybe worse.

America's Independence Day is of course not defined by pyrotechnics. And I'm quite sure our servicemen and women will mark the occasion honorably.

But we can't afford some sparklers for the troops?

You better believe the fireworks will go as planned in the nation's capital.

But officials in Washington, DC, are cutting back on the people who clean the National Mall after the big bash. There is no overtime pay available to them because of the sequester.

So, instead of working overnight to mop up after throngs of people, the U.S. Park Service will wait until the next day to face the mess.

Which means a mile of trash and debris strewn across the middle of Washington, DC, when the sun comes up on Friday.

I'm sure there's a metaphor in there somewhere.

You can follow Joe on Twitter @JoeMathieuWBZ